Step by Step Guide: Perform SCCM Recovery Using Restore Site Repair Wizard ConfigMgr Endpoint Manager. I’ve been asked to create a site recovery wizard step-by-step guide with screenshots (for a child primary server restoration).
It’s pretty straightforward if you’ve good backups in place (except for one or two hiccups explained below). If you don’t have a good backup, it will hit you very badly, and you may need to work extra hours to fix the issue.
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Step by Step Guide How to Perform SCCM Recovery Using Restore Site Repair Wizard
To level set – Deleted the child primary server’s AD system/machine account. Rebuild the server with the same name, Same path, Same Drive letters, and Same Patch level. I reapplied all the permissions which are required on the System Management container. Also, I added the machine account to all the required local groups of the central ConfigMgr server. I’ve already installed my primary site with the same name and configured SQL, IIS SCCM / ConfigMgr 2007 (with the same site code), R3, and WSUS.
The first issue, I’ve started the Site Repair Wizard with the user account, which is used during ConfigMgr and SQL installations. The wizard resulted in an error “SCCM – Repair Wizard has stopped Working,” as shown in the screenshot below. This is a known issue.
Solution:: Run the Site Repair Wizard as administrator, as shown in the below screenshot.
Second issue: Central server Database connectivity error faced during the restore and the same is explained at STEP 9 (mentioned below) – Parent Recovery window, even though I’ve used the same user account which performed SQL and SCCM installation on my central server and it’s also part of the local administrator of that box. I tried adding my child’s primary server machine account into the local administrators group of the central server; even that didn’t work. The credentials window gets prompted three times, and then the task fails.
Solution:: ENABLE TCP/IP in your SQL server protocols from SQL Server Configuration Manager. Also, you can check out the windows-noob link for more details (the link is for CM2012 SQL configuration, but it worked for me in SCCM 07 repair site wizard).
Recoverymanager.log can be reviewed for details of the recovery process (this log file will be created only AFTER step 13)
If you’re looking for a guide that can help you restore the Central Site, then go through the I do IT blog post. Make Sure you’ve taken the backup of the “srvacct” folder located at the installation location of ConfigMgr 2007 before starting the restore process. This will avoid the issue “OSD, and Task Sequences fail after restoring a Configuration Manager 2007 Central site from backup” explained in the KB article 2509330
The process starts from here !!!
1. Enter the Site Server Name to be repaired/restored.
2. Select the first option and provide the valid Backup folder location.
Note – The second option is used only in the scenario “in case you want to repair or reconfigure an existing site without installing a new site or restoring a site or site database from backup files.”
3. Specify the date of the site backup used to restore the site.
Note – Mention the date of the last good backup that you’ve.
4. Ensure that three progress steps have been completed with a green icon.
5. We need to specify the parent site code on this page.
In our case, we’re trying to restore the child primary site, which reports to the central site with site code CEN.
6. Create a new sender address for the parent site connection.
Note – If the parent site configuration settings were changed since the last backup, you could recover from the parent site. Select the “recover data from parent site” option.
7. Provide the central site details to create a standard sender address.
8. Provide the user name and password to connect to the site server (CEN).
9. The Wizard completes the ‘Connect to Server’ and ‘Connect to Provider’ tasks.
However, the Credential window got prompted three times. Then the repair wizard task failed Parent Recovery, even though I’ve used the same user account which performed SQL and SCCM installation on my central server. It’s also part of the local administrator of that box. I tried adding my child primary server machine account into the local administrators group of the central server even that didn’t work.
The solution was ENABLE TCP/IP in your SQL server protocols from SQL Server Configuration Manager. Also, you can check out the windows-noob link for more details (the link is for CM2012 SQL configuration, but it worked for me in SCCM 07 repair site wizard).
After this, I’ve restarted the entire Site Repair Wizard process to go to Step 1.
10. Recover data from parent site – CEN has been completed successfully.
All the following tasks were completed with green icons …
Connect to Site Server, Connect to Provider, Connect to Database, Checking for permissions and Recover Site Configuration Data
11. Verifying the site hierarchy information in this window.
12. Verification of package source and Update DPs
It’s not advisable to select update the DPs on this site server option in your production environment as it could create a backlog and other issues.
13. Summary Page
14. Final Progress
15. Here we go !! Completes the site recovery wizard and restoration of the site server.
16. ConfigMgr 2007 child primary console after the recovery…
Here is the experience from Nicolas Moseley – Recovering SCCM Site from a Failed Bad Backup.
Author
Anoop is Microsoft MVP! He is a Solution Architect in enterprise client management with more than 20 years of experience (calculation done in 2021) in IT. He is a blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group HTMD Community leader. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM 2012, Current Branch, and Intune. E writes about ConfigMgr, Windows 11, Windows 10, Azure AD, Microsoft Intune, Windows 365, AVD, etc…